His enormous mural still is situated on the southeast corner of Lucas Oil Stadium. He’s coming out of his three-point stance, nearly jumping off the canvas or whatever material is used on those stadium adornments.

His mural will be taken down, replaced either by another horseshoe emblem or a mural of another player. General manager Ryan Grigson informed Freeney he would not be re-signed when his contract expires March 12.

Before moving on, the Colts will issue an appreciative adios to their career sack leader.

As early as this coming week, the team plans an addendum to Freeney’s mural. Something along the lines of Thanks for the memories.

They did that with Manning. They did that with Clark.

No one should discount Freeney’s influence on the Colts’ incredible run of success starting in 2002. He was one of the NFL’s most disruptive defensive forces.

Yes, the Colts paid him handsomely. About $81 million over 11 years.

His numbers slipped the past couple of years, but Freeney was worth the investment and deserves a special sendoff.

When he finally retires, his name will be added to the Ring of Honor. Again, he earned it.